Posts Tagged ‘DaVinci’

Long-time readers of this site will recall DaVinci’s work off the strength of his 2010 debut, The Day the Turf Stood Still. For 2011, DaVinci has an EP and sophomore album planned. But first, he’s hitting listeners with a communal reinterpretation of Kanye West’s “Blame Game.”

Producer Al Jieh flips the same dreamy sample with subtle new bells and whistles in the background melodies. Lyrically, DaVinci lyrics focuses on the “blame game” that keeps neighborhoods in cycles of poverty and violence. It’s a completely different take from Ye’s focus on relationship issues (read: Amber Rose).

“Society blames the government for their problems – poverty, homelessness, gentrification, unemployment, drug abuse – yet, the government blames society for these same issues,” he explained regarding the song’s central concept.

DaVinci’s Feast Or Famine EP is set to drop this spring. His sophomore album, The MOEna Lisa, is expected to hit stores this summer.

Nore isn’t putting his solo career on hold while promoting CNN’s latest album (War Report 2). He debuted this track a few hours ago on his own 57th Ave blog. And he was kind enough to send a drop to all of us in the media. Word is Funkmaster Flex dropped a few bombs on it tonight so we’ll see what it does. Nore’s a great guy, and I still have fond memories of us doing the first ever Top 5 Dead or Alive over at AllHipHop.com.

This joint, produced by Scoop DeVille, sounds like something you’d expect from Busta Rhymes. But Nore does it justice. Remember in the early 2000s when Nore was killing the clubs with joints like “Nothin’?” (and the Neptunes too for that matter).

Apollo Brown dropped a highly slept-on album earlier this year called The Reset. This track features Stik Figa and is the latest single. If you’re picking up a somber vide, that’s exactly what the Grand Rapids emcee was going for.

“I really wanted to hear something on the sad side, some grasping-onto-life type music,” he says.

Be on the lookout for Stik Figa too. Right now he’s working full-length album with Oddisee.

It seems like every other day something new is coming from DaVinci. Along with just dropping a video for “Concrete Jungle” (off his debut the Day the Turf Stood Still), DaVinci is blessing fans with a non-album cut that features Big K.R.I.T., Webbz and J. Rockwell.

Nore isn’t the only vet giving the young guns a run for their money. With less than a week before his third solo Trill OG (August 3) drops, Bun B has been teasing fans with selective leaks. First we got the DJ Premier produced “Let Em Know.” Today, Bun hits us with the first of two Drake-featuring tracks on the album. Enjoy.

DaVinci and his team must be commended for the way they’re pushing his The Day the Turf Stood Still album. Despite the album being several months old, DaVinci has pumped out a new video for the third single “Concrete Jungle Juice.” The title derives from a drink that mixes Gin and Tampico. The Bay Area rapper’s goal with this video was to accurately depict life in his native San Francisco.

“We wanted to remind people we’re from San Franciso,” he stated. “the skyline intro; the Giants fitteds; the orange and black imagery. We’re from the Bay.”

Darkside Volume 1 Samples

By now you’ve heard Joe’s Just-Blaze produced “I Am Crack” over various sites and blogs. But that doesn’t mean Fat Joe doesn’t have other gems on the album. Cool and Dre are behind the boards with these twp tracks. On “Valley of Death” some of you will recall the sample from Alchemist’s work on Prodigy’s Return of the Mac. Busta Rhymes is in riot gear form to accenuate the menacing string instrumentation on “At Last Supremacy.” Be on the lookout for the full album review on Monday.

Sadly with all the controversy surrounding Solar, Guru never got a high-profile tribute for his Hip-Hop contributions. The BET Awards omission was the most glaring example. But for those who know their Hip-Hop history, Guru’s place is secure. The 16-minute video by his nephew Justin Nicholas Elam-Ruff is a great piece to honor his legacy. And you can hear the similiar vocal tones between Guru and Justin.

New Mixtape from Trek Life and Oddisee

It appears Trek Life has so much material that he couldn’t even wait to drop his album Everything Changed Nothing on July 27. So here we are with a “teaser mixtape” full of previews, instrumentals, and an exclusive Oddisee-produced Trek Life track called “Get in Touch.” The tape can be previewed and downloaded HERE.

By now most of you have delved into Rick Ross’ leaked Teflon Don album. This outtake is a nice reworking of the timeless Mobb Deep “Shook Ones” sample, Ross and Raekwon give you the drug and materialism talk you’d expect. Very surprised this one didn’t make it.

The Bay Area has yet to recover nationally from the Hyphy movement backlash. But that shouldn’t prevent fans from checking what their promising younger acts.

DaVinci is a member of radio station KMEL’s Freshmen 10 class, and has been making a name for himself with appearances on DJ Muggs’ Shade 45 Soul Assassins radio show with Talib Kweli, Planets Asia, and Strong Arm Steady. The smooth riding themed “Clean Ass Whip” is a new track, and follows up his free debut album that was released earlier this year (The Day the Turf Stood Still).

The 22 year-old Moe Green is another KMEL Freshmen list recipient, and with good reason. The Vallejo native dropped a new album today for free download called Rocky Maivia: The Non-Title Match. His reasoning behind the move is that he has to earn the listener’s dollars by first showing that he can make worthwhile music.

“Why would I make somebody pay for the new guy when they’re already getting their favorite rapper’s work for free?” he explained in a statement. This is in sharp contrast to others who take David Banner’s approach, but a realistic one for Green who’s attempting to build a national rep through his Independent Media label.

Lil B’s crew The Pack check in with the bass-heavy street track “Kimbo Slice.” I know some people can’t stand them, but this is a servicable club track and will appease their fanbase. How can you not appreciate lines like “I fucked your girl and called her a liar?” Their new album Wolfpack Party drops on August 24 via SMC Records.

Pittsburgh emcee and activist Jasiri X takes a thought-provoking approach to the controvery surrounding the ideological Republican subgroup known as the Tea Party. The premise is a hythothetical discussion on how the media would portray the Tea Party if it were a predominantly black group. Whether you agree or disagree, it’s sure to spark discussion.

DJ Muggs vs Ill Bill- “Cult Assassin”

This is from their Kill Devil Hills album that drops on Fatbeats records August 24. Muggs delivers his expected dark, ochestral production that contrasts well with the 80s style cartoon video. The beat reminds me of late 90’s RZA.